Big things are happening for actor Kal Penn, as the upcoming release of his new book, “You Can’t Be Serious”, announces his engagement to Josh, his partner of 11 years. In his newest memoir, Penn dives deep into their love story, sharing how they met when the actor least expected it.
According to Penn, the soon-to-be-married couple first met during his break from acting that he took to work in the White House under President Barack Obama’s administration. On the couple’s first date, Josh arrived with an 18-pack of Coors Light and quickly changed the TV channel to watch NASCAR.
“I thought, ‘This obviously is not going to work out. I have one day off from The White House and this dude is unironically watching cars go around and make left turns?” Penn recalled.
Little did he know, the first date would be the start of something special, as Penn found himself watching NASCAR every Sunday as the two fell deeper and deeper in love. After coming out as gay to the world, Penn revealed that opening up about his sexuality was easier than expected.
“I know this sounds jokey, but it’s true: When you’ve already told your Indian parents and the South Asian community that you intend to be an actor for a living, really any conversations that come after that are super easy,” Penn shared in an interview with PEOPLE.
“They’re just like, ‘Yeah, okay.’ I felt very supported by everyone,” Penn added. “That’s a wonderful thing. I know everybody has different experiences with that and so I definitely feel very fortunate.”
“You Can’t Be Serious” is set to release Nov. 2, featuring a series of “funny, consequential, awkward, and ridiculous stories from Kal’s idiosyncratic life.”
“I really hope that people enjoy the book. I hope it makes people laugh and smile,” he says. “Obviously I am engaged to a man and our families will be there for the wedding. The big disagreement now is whether it’s a huge wedding or a tiny wedding. I want the big-ass Indian wedding. Josh, hates attention, [has said], ‘Or we could just do a quick 20-minute thing with our families and that’s it.’ So we have to meet halfway in the middle.”